1. Austria October 2009

2. New friends from Taiwan, met on the shuttle from CeskyKrumlov

3. City of Linz

4. A plague monument in the Old Town of Linz

5. Danube River

6. Gothic Cathedral in Linz

7. Mauthausen Concentration Camp

9. Toys made in the camp

10. Emotional to see, but important to bear witness… The gas chamber and the Zyklon B crystals used to make the gas.

12. The crematorium

14. View from Mauthausen

15. A hill full of memorials…

16. Andreas and Stefanie outside a traditional buschenschanken – a farm-restaurant that serves what it produces. We feasted on a platter of meats, breads and most, an alcoholic fruit drink.

18. Market day in Vöcklabruck

20. One of many tiny, gorgeous churches

22. A farm that makes a traditional pastry, called Bauernkrapfen.

23. Andreas samples the Bauernkrapfen.

24. A snowy day in Salzburg… Getreidegasse

26. Roasted chestnuts, a winter-time delicacy

27. Shop display of Easter decorations

28. Salzburg Cathedral

29. The Residenzplatz, looking towards Michaelskirche (St. Michael’s Church) and the New Residence Palace’s Carillon Bell Tower

30. Salzburg Cathedral

32. A crown wreath celebrating the harvest

34. Hohensalzburg Fortress

36. Views from the Fortress

38. Inside the medieval fortress

42. Uncovering the layers of history in the fortress palace from the 2004 excavations.

45. View of Salzburg

46. Franciscan Church – A Gothic church built for the middle class

48. St. Blasé Church in the shadow of the Mönchsberg, Salzburg

49. At the border with Germany. As members of the EU, border checks are no longer necessary. It’s like driving from state to state in the United States.

51. A typical Austrian dinner

52. The local beer

53. Exploring the Salzkammergut, Austria’s lake region With Stefanie

56. Snowball fight!

57. With Andreas, my penpal of 15 years

58. Hallstatt, from the funicular up to the salt mine

59. Bundled up and in protective clothing for the salt mine tour

61. Inside the mine

66. Hallstatt

70. Bone House of St. Michael’s Chapel – each skull has painted on it the name of the person and their birth and death years

72. Kaiservilla – summer residence of the Austro-Hungarian emperor in the town of Bad Ischl

74. Bad Ischl

75. Café Zauner – where Kaiser Franz Josef sipped his coffee

78. Dinner with Andreas’ family

80. Town of Thomasroith Local church dedicated to St. Barbara, the patron saint of miners

81. Thomasroith

84. Andreas gives me a tour of a local coal mine

85. Cooking Weiner Schnitzel

86. The Baroque Melk Abbey on the Danube River

97. Driving through the Danube River Valley, full of castles and vineyards